NameCensus.

UK surname

Bonsey

A habitational surname referring to someone from a location named Bonsey.

In the 1881 census there were 136 people recorded with the Bonsey surname, ranking it #16,433 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 84, ranked #32,726, down from #16,433 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Upton with Chalvey, Chertsey and Worplesdon , Ash. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Basingstoke and Deane, Mole Valley and Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bonsey is 179 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 38.2%.

1881 census count

136

Ranked #16,433

Modern count

84

2016, ranked #32,726

Peak year

1911

179 bearers

Map years

5

1881 to 1998

Key insights

  • Bonsey had 136 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,433 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 84 in 2016, ranked #32,726.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 179 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Bonsey surname distribution map

The map shows where the Bonsey surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Bonsey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bonsey over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 92 #18,050
1861 historical 89 #22,419
1881 historical 136 #16,433
1891 historical 126 #20,604
1901 historical 160 #17,387
1911 historical 179 #16,023
1997 modern 123 #23,792
1998 modern 123 #24,449
1999 modern 117 #25,362
2000 modern 112 #25,978
2001 modern 113 #25,489
2002 modern 105 #27,123
2003 modern 103 #27,234
2004 modern 100 #27,964
2005 modern 97 #28,485
2006 modern 97 #28,793
2007 modern 91 #30,061
2008 modern 94 #29,950
2009 modern 100 #29,597
2010 modern 99 #30,397
2011 modern 98 #30,384
2012 modern 95 #31,107
2013 modern 95 #31,523
2014 modern 93 #32,025
2015 modern 90 #32,245
2016 modern 84 #32,726

Geography

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Where Bonseys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Upton with Chalvey, Chertsey, Worplesdon , Ash, Wisborough Green (Billingshurst, Sussex), Cranley, Albury (Albury), Alfold, Ewhurst, Shere (Albury) and Ditton, Long. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Basingstoke and Deane, Mole Valley, Cornwall and East Hampshire. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Upton with Chalvey Buckinghamshire
2 Chertsey Surrey
3 Worplesdon , Ash Surrey
4 Wisborough Green (Billingshurst, Sussex), Cranley, Albury (Albury), Alfold, Ewhurst, Shere (Albury) Surrey
5 Ditton, Long Surrey

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Basingstoke and Deane 012 Basingstoke and Deane
2 Mole Valley 012 Mole Valley
3 Cornwall 028 Cornwall
4 Basingstoke and Deane 010 Basingstoke and Deane
5 East Hampshire 003 East Hampshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bonsey

These lists show first names that appear often with the Bonsey surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bonsey

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bonsey, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Bonsey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Bonsey household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Bonsey is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bonsey is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bonsey falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bonsey is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Bonsey, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Bonsey

The surname "BONSEY" is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, likely in the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Old English word "bon" or "bone," meaning a request or petition, and the suffix "-ey" or "-y," indicating a place or location. Thus, the name may have referred to a person who lived near a place where petitions or requests were made, possibly a manor house or local court.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landholders in England. The entry "John de Bonseye" is listed as a resident of Oxfordshire, suggesting the name's presence in that region during the 13th century.

The name also appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and wealth in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. While the spelling varies slightly, entries such as "Bonseia" and "Bonseya" are recorded, indicating the name's existence in the years following the Norman Conquest.

In the 16th century, the surname "BONSEY" was associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Richard Bonsey, a merchant and alderman who lived in the city of Norwich, England, during the late 1500s. Another was John Bonsey, a clergyman and author who published a treatise on the Book of Revelation in 1589.

Moving into the 17th century, the name gained prominence through individuals like William Bonsey, a prominent landowner and justice of the peace in Hertfordshire, England, who was born in 1612 and died in 1688. His son, also named William Bonsey (1649-1721), followed in his footsteps and served as a member of Parliament for the borough of Hertford.

In the 18th century, the "BONSEY" surname was carried across the Atlantic to the American colonies. One notable bearer was Samuel Bonsey, a soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War and was present at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. Another was Nathaniel Bonsey, a shipbuilder and merchant from Massachusetts, who was active in the late 1700s.

Throughout the 19th century, the name continued to be found in various parts of England and the United States. Notable individuals included Robert Bonsey, an English artist and engraver born in 1819, and John Bonsey, an American educator and school administrator who lived from 1832 to 1904.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bonsey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bonsey surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Surrey leads with 75 Bonseys recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.60x.

County Total Index
Surrey 75 11.60x
Middlesex 28 2.11x
Glamorgan 9 3.90x
Hertfordshire 8 8.75x
Lancashire 5 0.32x
Hampshire 4 1.47x
Cumberland 3 2.63x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.25x
Essex 1 0.38x
Kent 1 0.22x
Leicestershire 1 0.68x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kingston On Thames in Surrey leads with 15 Bonseys recorded in 1881 and an index of 96.59x.

Place Total Index
Kingston On Thames 15 96.59x
Cranleigh 9 947.37x
Effingham 9 3333.33x
Newington 9 18.36x
Swansea Town 9 47.52x
Sunbury 8 503.14x
Northaw 7 2692.31x
Tottenham 7 33.13x
Woking 7 179.49x
Worplesdon 7 897.44x
Barrow In Furness 5 23.35x
Guildford St Nicholas 5 438.60x
Hackney London 4 5.38x
South Stoneham 4 67.80x
Stoke 4 131.15x
Lambeth 3 2.59x
Preston Quarter 3 93.75x
St George Hanover Square 3 12.84x
Chertsey 2 47.85x
Cheshunt 1 31.25x
Chiswick 1 13.79x
Croydon 1 2.79x
Fulham London 1 5.20x
Fulmer 1 526.32x
Hampton London 1 45.87x
Heston 1 22.68x
Hornsey 1 5.96x
Horsell 1 243.90x
Leicester St Margaret 1 2.79x
Southwark St John 1 24.63x
Southwark St Thomas 1 285.71x
St Pancras London 1 0.94x
Wanstead 1 21.79x
Wateringbury 1 169.49x
Wimbledon 1 13.77x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Bonsey surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 13
Alice 5
Eliza 5
Elizabeth 5
Ellen 4
Emily 4
Emma 4
Sarah 4
Annie 3
Lily 2
Matilda 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Ann 1
Charlotte 1
Dinah 1
Edith 1
Emy 1
Harriett 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Louisa 1
Lydia 1
Rebecca 1
Rosametia 1
Rosina 1
Susan 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Bonsey surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

FAQ

Bonsey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bonsey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 136 people were recorded with the Bonsey surname. That placed it at #16,433 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bonsey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 84 in 2016. That gives Bonsey a modern rank of #32,726.

What does the Bonsey surname mean?

A habitational surname referring to someone from a location named Bonsey.

What does the Bonsey map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Bonsey bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.